FireFly with Fraen LP

Hello out there.

A friend of mine sent me his FireFly to mess with. While I had it, I decided to drop a Fraen LP optic into it. I've got to say that these optics sure do loose a lot when you turn them down that small. Even the NX05 that was in it had sort of a cheese grater sort of beam to it that wasn't noticeable until I got the high dome into it.

Anyway, I turned the LP down, but removed as little material as possible. I discovered that it now actually has side spill. Very nice for a pocket light.

Has anyone else had this experience or is it just something about the FireFly?

I believe Wayne did - and we asked him to turn more Fraen LPs down for us.

Yep, me too. They work, but IMHO not as well as the turned down NX05.

I think I read a post where Mr Bulk [Charlie] said that the Fraen will lose 30% of it's output with only 10% of the optic removed.

IIRC he got that info from the manufacturer.

I got that direct from Scott Grzenda, Fraen's USA Sales Manager. Worrrrrrrrrrd UP!

OK, so I'm not crazy. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Maybe I need to build myself a light similar to the FireFly. I have an aluminum reflector that was made to go into a Mini M@g. I'd like to turn that down and see how that does in a really small light.

Oh, has anyone ever messed with a McFlood to try to get more throw out of it? Is that an impossibility? Maybe if you drill it out and turn off some of the material from the back to get the emitter further up into the reflector, kinda like the way the emitter sits in the PR.

Heck, maybe I'll just go ahead and try it.

I had a Fraen turned down by McGizmo. He did a great job and it was a perfect press fit into the Firefly. The resulting beam was very good. No artifacts...just your typical box shaped spot beam (what the Fraen gives with the high dome).

There was, of course, less light in the spot and more side-spill flood-type light, but the beam is nice.

If you are careful and turn down the optics well (and align the optics with the emitter well), you will get a beam that is better in my opinion than the NX05. Whether all this trouble is really worth it is another question....(and there is also the issue of the loss in efficiency of the optics)

JollyRoger,
I think the LP was much better than the NX05 in the FF, especially with the sidespill.

(Yes, so do I!)